TS – Freelance writer, editor and researcher

Communication has developed rapidly in the last 50 years, and interpersonal communication between peers and family has taken on a whole new dimension. One can send a short instant message via cellular telephone; send an electronic-mail with information that will be received immediately; and gripe about issues with your friends via online social utilities such as www.facebook.com.

Face-to-face communication seems to have taken a step back to accommodate this new communication wave, and individuals are taking advantage of it to communicate with people across the world, and stay in contact with friends and family who live to far away to see in person. Businesses have taken full advantage as well – with the expansion of companies internationally; time and distance are no longer boundaries of development.

Personal preference dictates how involved individuals are, and how much they communicate in this manner. Many individuals see it as a curse, while others could not survive without this communication format. It has made communication possible for those too shy or unable to communicate face-to-face. However, does this mean that individuals will say and do things that they would not do in person because they can hide behind a computer screen?

Setting aside cellular telephones and other messaging such as MXit (an instant messaging program for cellular telephones), Facebook currently has the largest membership of individuals at an estimated 69 million users worldwide (www.wikipedia.org); leading one to question if such a relatively small communication space can have so many active users, is online communication replacing close social interaction? Or is it merely playing a supportive role in the larger scheme of the melting pot of communication that is the world? How does this affect your daily communications with people?